Cody Scared Stupid
by TDI Charlie Brown
Summary: Cody accidentally unleashes the legendary monster Baganista from his prison. Now free, Baganista looks to restore his fallen army with the souls of youth. It is up to Cody to stop this menace terrorizing Wawanakwa.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Legend of Baganista

_Wawanakwa 1734_

A young lady was running through the forest of Wawanakwa as fast as her little legs could carry her. A terrified expression was upon her face as she continued to glance back to see if the creature that she was in pursuit from was still after her. She couldn't see it, but she could hear the terrible sound of its giant footsteps echoing throughout the forest. She could also hear the sound of the forests mightiest trees falling to the ground as the creature swiped them away with one slash of its ax. The girl continued to race for her life. But she could tell that no matter how fast she was running, the creature was gaining on her and it meant harm.

Soon managed to clear her way through the forest and saw the village where she and other settlers had made home in sight. She cried for help as she raced for the village. But the village was about half a mile away and the creature was gaining on her with every passing second.

As she was running, however, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and allowed her foot to slip into a whole in the ground. She yelped in pain as a loud snap from her ankle caused her to fall to the ground. Immediately, the sharp pain of her twisted ankle shot up through her leg. She couldn't run anymore.

At that exact moment, a loud crunching sound was heard from the edge of the forest. A series of trees had been chopped down as the creature effortlessly stomped its way through the brush. It was not in full view for the girl to see and what a monster it was! The creature stood eight feet tall and weighed 600 pounds of pure muscle. It had purple hair covering its body, blood-red eyes, great teeth that were mightier and deadlier than those of a great white shark, and an ax that no normal human being would be able to wield. It looked at the helpless girl with an evil smile on its face and made its way towards her.

The little girl was so afraid at this point that she had forgotten her twisted ankle and was totally fixed upon the great evil that was making its way towards her. Her shrieks filled the air as the monster continued to make its way towards her, though in vain.

The creature was now standing directly in front of her. By this point, the girl was paralyzed with fear and couldn't even bring herself o scream. It then leaned down in front of her, snatched her up, and opened its mouth, thirsting for the girls blood and soul after a long run.

Suddenly, the creature felt a large, heavy net fall over him that knocked it off balance. Then another. And another. And a fourth. Suddenly, he felt a multitude of human beings jump on him. He thrashed around, attempting to throw them al off of him. During the struggle, he had dropped the girl, who crawled to the safety of her fellow villagers, who assisted taking her back to the village. It took twenty humans, but they finally forced it to the ground. There, they began to throw shackles around the creature along with any rope they had brought and chains. The great beast tried to escape, but it was inevitable. The villagers had captured the great beast that had been terrorizing their Wawanakwa settlement for months: Baganista.

That night, just outside the village, the entire village gathered just outside the edge of the forest, carrying pitchforks and torches. A large whole had been dug. The village elder stood before the mighty hole, holding a young oak tree in his hand.

"Fellow citizens of Wawanakwa," he began. "On this night, we will rid this settlement once and for all of this horrific menace! He has stolen the souls of our youth while attempting to resurrect his army. But tonight, in our paths of righteousness, we have halted the monster Baganista's attempts to conquer us!"

At that moment, a group of villagers were dragging Baganista over to the whole, which was still bound in chains and ropes. The creature had also been covered with sacks so no one was forced to look upon its horrific figure. Some villagers whimpered at the sight of the beast being dragged to the whole.

"My son," one man cried. "He took the soul of my first-born son!"

Most of the villagers jabbed at the monster with their pitchforks, laughing as they heard its small cries of pain. Then, with a thunderous thud, the villagers threw Baganista into the hole.

"This hole shall serve as this creatures prison for the rest of its filthy eternity!" the village elder continued. "The roots of this oak tree will serve as it prison forever! And once we've planted the tree, its roots must never be disturbed, lest this creature shall roam this world free once again!"

Suddenly, a horrible sound filled the air as the creature began to speak.

"Hear me, Jebidiah Allen," Baganista roared to the elder, "a curse I place on you and all of Wawanakwa! One night before an all hollow's eve yet to come, one with your blood running through his veins shall release me from this prison! And victory…WILL BE MINE!"

Baganista thrashed around once again in the hole. The villagers shrieked a they heard the sound of some of the chains snapping. Jebidiah, however, was not intimidated by the monsters words.

"I banish you, horrendous fiend, to eternal darkness!" Jebidiah shouted to the monster before signaling for the villagers to fill the hole with dirt.

_Present Wawanakwa_

Students of Wawanakwa High School's local history class listened intensely as Gwen finished her report on the legend of Baganista.

"After Jebidiah Allen and Baganista finished their exchange of words, Jebidiah ordered the villagers to bury Baganista in the cold, damp, ground where the town's largest oak tree would feed on him for years to come. It is said, that even today, Baganista is still alive under that tree, plotting his revenge and awaiting the day an ancestor of Jebidiah would finally set him free. The end."

"Excellent report, Gwen," the teacher complimented, signaling to Gwen that she could sit down. "Now, does anyone have any questions for Gwen or about her report?"

Immediately, a raven-haired girl rose her hand.

"Yes Heather?"

"Our reports were supposed to be about the history of Wawanakwa, not creative writing reports…especially about some lame-o monster! Of course, that's right up the ally for weird goth girl over here," she laughed.

"It's not fiction," Gwen hissed. "I read it in a local history book!"

"Which one? Scary Stories of Wawanakwa for Weird People?" she laughed.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," replied a male student with black hair, who smiled over at Gwen.

"Yeah, for you it wasn't…because you've got it for her bad!" Heather contorted. The rest of the class, mainly Heather and her friends, Lindsay and Beth, laughed at Trent

Trent glared at Heather as his face turned beat red. Gwen felt flustered, but couldn't help but find Trent's red face to be cute.

"All right, class. That's enough," the teacher called out. "Now, even though I found Gwen's report to be a little unorthodox, myths and legends play a large role in a town's history. Gwen's report on the town's largest oak tree, how old it is, and how it manages to stay alive throughout all these years is no exception. I, for one, think it was a nice change of pace."

Gwen smiled at the teacher who kindly returned the smile.

"I have a question, Gwen," the teacher continued. "What exactly was the curse that Baganista placed on Jebidiah before he was buried alive?"

"Well, legend has it that the generations of Allen following Jebidiah would get dumber and less intelligent with each passing generation."

Meanwhile, across the street from the school was a teenage boy standing in front of a garbage truck. He was working on one of his inventions that he would hope make him famous and rich one day. The boy had brown hair and his signature trademark: a carefree, toothless grin.

"Yes sir! When the town hired someone to clean up this town, little did they realize that they had hired Cody Allen…the Codester! The Codemeister! The Codenator! With his new invention, I, Cody Allen, have made clean-up in Wawanakwa faster, easier, and more convenient for everyone for this generation and future generations to come!"

A bark came from inside the garbage truck. Cody looked up and smiled at his pet beagle that was happily looking down at Cody.

"That's right Thunder! It'll be easier for dogs too!" Cody remarked.

Cody put the finishing touches on his invention, rubbed his hands together, and pressed the on button on his controller. The machine he had been working on began to run smoothly, picking up nearby trash barrels and emptying the contents into the garbage truck.

"Yes! It works! All right!" Cody shouted in excitement. In his excitement, he began to play air guitar, sounding out the notes. "Today, I am Cody Allen, the master of garbage! Tomorrow, I will be Cody Allen, king of the world!"

Suddenly, the machine began to sputter and spit. Soon, it was picking up more than just garbage cans. The machines claws began to reach for mailboxes, fences, and anything else that wasn't bolted to the ground and dropping into the truck.

Cody began to panic and started to fiddle with the controller, trying to make the machine stop. Rather than helping the situation, Cody began making the situation worse. The claws began reaching for cars, ripping off bumpers and mirrors. It also began ripping chinks of dirt from the ground.

"How do you turn this thing off?" Cody yelled in frustration.

Just then, the claws reached out and grappled Cody before he knew what was going on. Cody tried to break free from the machines claws, but they were too tightly grappled around his waist. Cody shrieked as the claws dropped Cody into the truck. Just as he landed in a soft pile of trash bags, the claws slowly stopped moving and shut off.

"Well," Cody huffed as he sat up in the pile of trash, "that could've gone worse."

No sooner did he say that, the top of the garbage truck closed, leaving Cody in darkness inside the smelly piece of machinery. Suddenly, Cody could hear the sound of gears turning inside the truck. The truck had been activated to crunch the garbage inside the truck and Cody was trapped in it!

"Oh crap!" he shrieked and began to frantically look for the controller. "I must've hit the button when I saw up! Where is it! I'm gonna be squashed if I don't find it!"

He threw pieces of trash around left and right, but he couldn't find the controller. The walls inside the truck were enclosing in on him at an alarming quick rate.

"Thunder!" He called out. "Do something! Turn the truck off!"

Outside, Thunder could hear his master's calls for help and began to push buttons on the truck left and right. The stereo came on, the windshield wipers turned on, and the blinkers were blinking. But Cody continued to scream for help.

Thunder did what he was taught to do in situations like this: he placed his paw on the trucks horn and pressed against it, calling for help.

Back at the school the final bell rang, releasing the students from the building. Immediately, a multitude of students stormed out of the school and raced for home. Among these students was the school's most popular girl. She had blonde hair, a blue shirt and short, blue jeans. Her most striking figure were her lazy green eyes.

"Bridgette! Babe!" called a male voice.

The blonde girl looked up when she heard her name called and saw a teenage guy wearing a cowboy hat, pink vest, and baggy shorts wave to her. Bridgette smiled when she saw Geoff, but still felt a little uneasy.

"How you doing babe!" he said as he approached her.

"I'm doing great!" she replied and greeted him a kiss.

"So, you want me to walk you home?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know…my dad doesn't like it when he sees us together."

"Aw, come on," he pleaded. "Your dad doesn't have to know. I'll stop at the end of your street."

"He's on patrol today," Bridgette explained. "He might see us driving around."

"Oh…that DOES make a problem, doesn't it," Geoff sighed. "I just wish I could get you parents to like me."

"Mom DOES like you," Bridgette assured as she patted his cheek. "I just wish dad could be as understanding."

Just then, Geoff and Bridgette heard the sound of a horn honking. They looked around for the source of the noise. Through the clearing of students, they could make out a familiar garbage truck across the road.

"That's Cody's truck!" Bridgette exclaimed and raced over to the truck with Geoff following.

When they got there, they saw Thunder sitting in the driver's seat, honking the horn. They looked all around, but couldn't see Cody anywhere.

"Thunder, where's Cody?" Bridgette asked the dog as she picked him up. "Show us where Cody is, boy."

Thunder looked at the truck and barked at it, as though to answer Bridgette's question. Right afterwards, Geoff and Bridgette could hear muffled voices coming from inside the truck.

"Omigosh!" Bridgette shrieked. "We've got to get him out of there! He'll be killed!"

Without a word, Geoff raced to the back of the truck and pulled the emergency stop switch. Then, after looking around for a minute, he found the switch that opened the back door of the truck and pulled it.

"Oh thank goodness," Bridgette sighed when she saw the back door opening. "Geoff, you're a hero!"

"Aw, it's nothing babe," Geoff modestly replied, blushing. "I'm sure anyone would've done the same thing for Cody if they had the chance!"

When the door opened fully, they could see that all the trash had been composed into one, large block of trash. With his head sticking out towards Bridgette and Geoff, Cody began mumbling something that couldn't be understood. He continued to mumble as the truck began to automatically push the large block of trash towards the back of the truck. Cody let out a shriek as the block tipped off the truck and he landed face-first on the concrete. Bridgette, Geoff, and Thunder all winced in pain as they heard Cody's face hit the ground with a loud THUD!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Gypsies Vision

Outside the police station, a man in a business suit had just pulled up in his sports car. The man, Greg Parker, appeared to be about fifty. He was a shorter, heavier man who's hair was just beginning to thin out and turn grey. In the backseat were his daughter Heather and her friends Lindsay and Beth, talking about little things.

"Daddy, do we have to stop right now?" she whined. "The movie's going to start soon."

"Just a minute, pumpkin," her father replied. "Daddy's got some business to attend to real quick. It'll only be a minute."

"…fine…" Heather huffed. "But not one minute more!"

"Of course not," he smiled. He parked the car and stepped out. "Sheriff Harper!" he called out. "A word with you please!"

Sheriff Max Harper was a tall, built, forty year old man. He had yellow hair, a yellow mustache, and stern looking eyes.

"Yes mayor. I'll be right with you." He called out. He then turned back to his cell phone. "Bridgette, it's your father," he said. "Your mother needs you to go straight home tonight. Call me when you get this call. All right, love you."

Max hung up his phone and walked over to Greg.

"Max," Greg said sternly. "I just came from the gypsies place. The place is an absolute mess! It violates every code in the book."

"I know sir," Max coolly replied. "I sent Cody to take care of it this morning."

"Tch…so that's why it's not clean yet," he huffed. "You make sure you tell that idiot to have it cleaned up by the end of today!"

"Yes sir."

"If he can't handle it…you fire him. If you don't, I will."

"Yes sir."

Just then, Max and Greg caught sight of a garbage truck rounding the corner.

"There goes that idiot now!" Greg laughed. "And look at that: he's driving away from the gypsy's house!"

Max just sighed as he watched Cody drive away.

Inside the truck, Cody was glancing back at the police station in his mirror. When it was almost out of sight, he turned to two people ducking below the seats.

"It's all clear," he said.

Bridgette and Geoff let out a sigh of relief as they sat back up straight in their seats.

"That was close," Geoff said.

"I know. Not only would my dad get mad at me for being with Geoff, but we can get into a lot of trouble being in here."

"Well, it IS against the town's rules to let anyone ride in here without proper permission," Cody replied. "But then again, I like to think of myself as the master of this truck." Cody grinned. He was starting to get into his little vision. "The chief of my own army! The captain of my own ship! A man above the law!"

Suddenly, all three of them heard the sound of a police siren. Cody looked in his mirror and saw Sheriff Harper racing to catch up with him, lights flashing.

"Uh oh," Cody whispered.

Without a word, Bridgette and Geoff crotched under the seats out of sight again. Cody took a deep breath as he pulled over.

"Sheriff Harper! What a pleasure," Cody began as Max approached the truck.

"Get out of the truck Cody," Max sternly replied.

With a loud gulp, Cody sheepishly climbed down from the truck and approached Max.

"Uh, was I speeding?" Cody nervously asked. "Did I run a red light? You know, sometimes, I get so psyched about this job, that I forget everything that's going on around me, know what I'm talking about?"

"Cody!" Max snapped. "I told you to go to the gypsy's house and clean it up!"

"The gypsy's house?" came a voice from inside the truck.

"Shh! Geoff!" another voice whispered.

Recognizing the voices, Max marched over to the truck, seeming very irritated.

"Here comes the hurricane," Cody said aloud to himself and closed his eyes.

Max yanked the door open. When he saw Bridgette and Geoff ducking under the seats clinging onto one another, one could almost see the steam flow from his ears.

"YOU!" Max shouted to Geoff. "HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER NOW!"

Geoff immediately let go of Bridgette, not daring to take his eyes off of her father.

"BOTH OF YOU! OUT OF THE TRUCK!"

Bridgette and Geoff raced out of the truck as fast as they could.

"GEOFF! GO HOME NOW! BRIDGETTE! GET IN THE CAR!"

"But dad…"

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!"

"D-Don't get mad at them, sir," Cody stuttered. "It was my fault. I invited them in the truck. I should have known better. After all, I am the master of the truck…the captain. The chief! The…"

"Cody!" Max snapped again. "I told you to clean up that gypsy's house this morning and you haven't done it yet!"

Cody's expression went from nervous to terrified when he heard this.

"Uh…I'm allergic to restless souls," he nervously lied. "Um…I don't have a toxic waste permit! I don't touch things that are considered ancient relics!"

"Cody," Max replied, in a little softer tone. "All I asked you to do today is to clean up that gypsy's front yard. Now, if you really value your job, I suggest you go over there right now and get the job done before you make the mayor even more upset than he is now."

"Yes sir," Cody sheepishly replied.

"All right, then get to it," Max concluded. He then turned his attention to his daughter, who was waving good-bye to Geoff.

"Bridgette! Get in the car now!"

Bridgette hung her head down as she dragged her feat to the passenger's side of the police car. Cody managed to give her a small smile before she climbed into the car. Bridgette returned the smile as she shut the door to the car. Not another word was said as Max went back to his car and Cody went back into his truck.

Thirty minutes later, Cody pulled up to an old, rickety house. The front yard was covered with what many people considered to be garbage. But according to the superstitious, they were voodoo dolls used to keep ancient spirits away; shrines dedicated to lost souls that had lost their way; monuments to ancient superstitions that were regarded as teachings to those that believed in them.

A cold chill went down Cody's spine as he studied the property. He let out a gulp as he parked the truck and climbed down. Even Thunder let out a whimper as he jumped down to his master's side.

"It's okay boy," Cody reassured the scared beagle. "Remember, we have nothing to fear but fear itself! …plus the fact that the gypsy that lives here will turn us into newts if she catches us here."

Cody tried to chuckle at his own joke, but he started to believe himself when he looked at some of the statues surrounding the house. Every single tree on the property was dead and leafless. The air seemed to have a hazy feel around it. The gargoyles seemed to be staring right into his soul as he approached the front door of the house. By now, Cody was literally shaking with fear. He hesitated before he walked up the rickety old steps that led to the front porch. When he finally mustered the courage to walk up the steps, he grabbed hold of the rope outside the door and pulled on it. A loud chime of a bell that hung above the porch rang throughout the property. Bats that were sleeping on the bell flew off to the distance.

"Well, no one home," Cody said to Thunder seconds after ringing the bell. He started to walk away down the steps, not waiting for a response. "I guess she's out cutting off a chicken's head or whatever it is these people do in their free time."

Just then, the door to the house swung open with great force as an old gypsy lady stormed after Cody wielding a machete.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Get off my property now!"

By now, she was standing right in front of Cody. Cody began to shake violently when he saw the old woman wielding a weapon. What was even scarier for him was her appearance. She wore traditional gypsy clothing and a headband with a picture of a full moon. Her face was covered in wrinkles and had a dark tone of skin. She was missing a lot of teeth. But to Cody, the scariest thing about her was that one of her eyes was completely white. No iris was visible or anything.

"Uh...ma'am…I-I-I'm just here to pick up all this garbage," Cody stuttered.

"I ain't got no garbage here!" the gypsy protested. "Only the expressions of lost souls!"

Cody nervously glanced around at all the relics once again, not influenced with the gypsy's argument. He was determined to get her to cooperate for the sake of his job.

"Uh, maybe we got off on the wrong foot. Let me introduce myself. I'm Cody Allen and I represent the Wawanakwa sanitizing committee."

"Allen?! Did you say your name was Cody Allen?" the gypsy demanded.

"Uh, yeah."

The gypsy suddenly became very afraid of Cody and slowly backed away from him.

"You will bring the curse back on us all!" she hollowed. "Dark days will dawn upon us all once again! Get out of here and don't ever come back!"

"Look, lady," Cody replied, seeming insulted. "I don't want to be here any more than you want me here. But as a garbage truck driver, I'm obligated to stay here until this place is cleaned up! It's my duty as a good citizen!"

"Yes…and you'll soon be a dead citizen," the gypsy replied, walking back over to Cody in a threatening matter, "when the cursed pool that is your genes brings back the horror and terror that haunted this town years ago. The cursed creature will walk this earth, searching for any method possible to bring the likes of you to your slow, horrifying, painful, treacherous death! Meanwhile, the rest of us will have to suffer while he tries to gain his revenge on you!"

By now, the gypsy was leaning directly into Cody's face.

"So…in other words…it might be better if I came back another day?" Cody asked.

The gypsy yelled a horrific battle cry as she pulled her machete out again and swung at Cody. Cody ducked just in time and raced back to his truck with the gypsy in pursuit. Cody and Thunder barely managed to make it back to the truck and lock the doors before the gypsy could climb in and attack. Shrieking the whole time, Cody started the truck and raced away from the gypsy's residence.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The Assault

_Three days after Cody's visit with the gypsy_

"Okay, what is it that you two want to show us?" a blindfolded Gwen laughed as she and a blindfolded Bridgette were being led by Trent and Geoff.

"If we told you two, it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?" Geoff teased.

"At least tell us if we're close," Bridgette chuckled. "This blindfold is starting to mess up my hair."

"It'll only be a few more minutes, we promise," Trent smiled.

As promised, only a few more minutes passed before Geoff and Trent stopped the girls in their tracks. When they removed their blindfolds, a wonderful sight awaited them. They were at the top of a hill just outside of Wawanakwa and the sun was starting to set over the town, making the sky a shade of red. Near the top of the hill was a round table with a checkered tablecloth on it, lit candles, four chairs, and four placemats. Geoff and Trent's good friend, DJ, was awaiting them at the top of the hill, wearing a tuxedo and carrying some menus. He had a large smile on his face as he awaited the arrival of his guest to dinner.

"Oh Geoff," Bridgette exclaimed, throwing her arms around her boyfriend. "You're the best!"

"It's kind of corny, but sweet at the same time," Gwen chuckled as she embraced Trent in a hug of her own.

"Ladies…may we be so honored to have to join us for a romantic dinner at the most romantic place in town?" Geoff asked, bowing to Bridgette.

"I would be honored," Bridgette replied, playing along with the act.

Geoff smiled as he held out his arm to escort Bridgette to the table. Trent followed Geoff, escorting Gwen.

Geoff pulled out a chair for Bridgette and pushed it in when she sat down. Trent did the same for Gwen. Then, DJ pulled out the chairs for Geoff and Trent and pushed them in for them. DJ then passed out the menus and pulled out a school notepad.

"Welcome to Wawanakwa hill," DJ smiled. "Would you ladies and gentlemen like something to drink while you look over the menu? We have a fine selection of pop if you would be interested in sampling some before you or-dare?"

"Sure…only if you stop trying to impersonate a French waiter," Gwen giggled.

"Oh…right. Sorry," DJ sheepishly replied. "I'll, uh, just go get those sodas now." DJ scurried behind a tree to retrieve the drinks.

"You know, it's times like this I wish dad could see how sweet you really are, Geoff," Bridgette sighed as she leaned onto his shoulder.

"Well…you know," Geoff smiled. "I do what I can."

"So did you guys hear what happened to Cody the other day?" Trent said, changing the subject. "That gypsy lady went after him with a machete!"

"WHAT?" the other three exclaimed.

"Yeah. When she learned who he was, she went berserk and chased him away with a machete. He got away unscratched, but he was pretty shaken up for a couple days."

"Oh my gosh!" Gwen replied, seeming startled.

"Dude, I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt Cody like that," Geoff added. "He's, like, the nicest guy I've ever known!"

"Is he still driving garbage truck?" Bridgette asked, seeming worried.

"Yeah," Trent answered. "Why?"

"Well…I overheard my dad threatening to fire him if he didn't get the job done the other day."

"Oh no, he's still driving the truck. When he told your dad what happened, he pardoned him…though I think Mayor Parker was upset he wasn't fired."

"That's because the Parker's are all major asses," Gwen huffed. "The only reason they're in office is because they've got money and they're not afraid to use it."

"Whoa, whoa. Ladies, we're here to have a good time," Geoff laughed. "Let's not ruin the evening talking about politics."

"Yeah, you're right," Gwen sighed. "We'll save that discussion for history tomorrow."

"No! I want to hear what you have to say now!" said a voice from the bushes.

Everyone sitting at the table turned towards the bushes. Once they fixed their sights on them, a series of tomatoes flew from them, hitting the two couples all over. When DJ rounded the corner carrying the sodas, he was pelted with the rotten vegetables as well.

"Ack! My suit!" DJ screamed.

DJ was so focused on his suit being ruined that he didn't notice a red-headed girl racing up behind him. Before he knew what happened, she snatched the sodas from his hands and ran for the four at the table. Shaking them violently, she threw them at the table. They burst on impact, soaking Geoff, Bridgette, Gwen, and Trent with the wet, sugary substance.

"Nice one Izzy!" shouted the voice again.

At that moment, three girls emerged from the bushes, holding rotten tomatoes and other spoiled vegetables.

"…Heather…" Gwen said through gritted teeth.

"Who looks like the ass now?" she laughed, throwing another tomato at Gwen.

"You guys are, like, totally in our spot!" Lindsay said as she threw a head of lettuce at Trent.

"Yeah! No one elth up here but uth!" Beth hollered, throwing some rotten eggs at the two couples.

"The last time I checked," Bridgette gritted while ducking the attacks, "this was public property. ANYONE can be up here whenever they want!"

"Oh, then by all means, stay," Heather teased. "You're a vegetarian, right? Well then, dinner's on me!" With that, she threw more rotten tomatoes directly at Bridgette.

Finally, Trent, Gwen, Bridgette, Geoff, and DJ retreated from the spot on the hill and raced as fast as they could down the hill. Heather, Izzy, Lindsay, and Beth laughed as they watched them retreat, satisfied with their work. They then called over four other boys that were lying low in the bushes.

"Sorry about the filth, babe," Heather cooed as she wrapped her arms around her date. "Oh, sorry about the rotten vegetables too."

"Those bimbos…just made a BIG mistake," Gwen hissed as she raced to catch up with her other friends.

Later that night, after they had cleaned themselves up, the five friends just gloomily walked around town. Their night had been ruined and they didn't feel like doing anything. Somehow, though, they found themselves walking around in the local park. But that was all they did: walk. They didn't talk to one another or anything. All was silent.

As they walked, they could hear someone in the park. He was laughing and sounded really happy. They could also hear the sound of a dog happily running back and forth.

"I know that goofy laughter anywhere," Gwen chuckled.

"Me too," Trent smiled. "Let's go see how Cody's doing."

They approached Cody, who was throwing a ball across the field. Thunder was happily racing after the ball, pouncing on it when he caught up to it. Once he had gathered it into his mouth, he raced back to Cody, who awaited Thunder's arrival with open arms and a big smile. Thunder pounced on Cody whenever he got to him, knocking him to his back. Thunder immediately dropped the ball and began to vigorously lick Cody's face.

"Hey, cut it out boy!" Cody laughed. "That tickles! Stop! That tickles! Okay, okay! You win! I surrender!"

But Thunder would not stop his tongue-oriented attack on Cody. He continued to happily slobber all over Cody's face. Cody just continued to laugh.

Bridgette, Geoff, Trent, Gwen, and DJ didn't say anything at first. They just watched as Cody played happily with his canine companion. Somehow, just watching Cody and Thunder playing together made all five of them feel better about what went down earlier.

"Who's a good boy?" Cody asked as he began to scratch Thunder's back. "Who's a good boy? You are, that's right! Who's my best friend in the world? YOU! That's right!"

"Jeez. Why don't you ask him to marry you?" Gwen teased.

Cody and Thunder immediately froze in place. They sheepishly glanced over to where the five other teens had been standing this whole time observing Cody and Thunder's behavior tactics.

They couldn't hold it anymore: they immediately broke out into laughter. Cody and Thunder weren't sure what to make of it, but when Cody saw Thunder panting happily, he joined in on the laughter too.

"So, what brings you out here tonight?" Bridgette asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

"It's the weekend. You know I don't work weekends. So I decided to take Thunder out for some exercise. What's your story?"

The five friends then explained everything that had occurred earlier in the evening. From the planning of the surprise picnic for Gwen and Bridgette to the assault from Heather and her posse, they explained it all.

"So they spoilt your picnic because they wanted that spot for themselves? Jeez, that's low even for Heather," Cody said.

"This sucks," Geoff suddenly burst. "I mean, the one time Bridgette and I get a night together with her parent's permission and those spoiled snots had to go and do that…I worked hard to organize that picnic too…I just…I don't know what to do…where else can we hang out together without anyone bugging us?"

Bridgette wrapped her arms around Geoff, trying to comfort her upset boyfriend.

"What you guys need," Cody began, "is a lesson from the Botswana Empire!"

"Botswana Empire?" DJ asked, seeming very confused.

"Yeah…that little nation that stood up to the seemingly unstoppable Ottoman Empire!"

"Cody, what does THAT have to do with anything?" DJ demanded.

"I'm glad you asked," Cody replied with his toothless grin. Out of nowhere, Cody grabbed a soap box, stood on it, and began to lecture to his friends.

"It was a dark, quiet night in Botswana. The sound of a fly could be heard buzzing around in the swamp. When suddenly, it came: the screeching battle cry of the Ottoman Hoard! So the Ottomans approached the Botswana Empire like 'AUGH! WE'RE THE OTTOMANS! AND YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE IN FOR A WORLD OF PAIN NOW!' Now some people were like 'Oh, right. We're afraid". Others were like 'Oh my gosh! The Ottomans! This is it for us! It's curtains!' Still, there were some people who didn't care at all. The only thing they were thinking at the time was 'This house is just screaming for drapes'."

The others chuckled at Cody's story, though they weren't sure where he was going with it.

"Anyways, there were a select group of people who were like 'Don't worry about those Ottomans! They ain't nothing but a bunch of hot air!' Others disagreed with them though. One said 'I knew an Ottoman Eagle Scout once upon a time…he got a merit badge in wholesale slaughter,'. Meanwhile, the Ottomans are still over here going 'AUGH!'

"Dude, does this story have a point?" Geoff asked, seeming very confused.

Cody didn't seem to hear him as he continued to rabble on.

"So anyways, the leader of the Botswana Empire stood up and said 'We can defeat this army! What we need, is the high ground! The high ground is the deciding factor in every single battle in history. Fellow Boatswains, lend this country your trees!' Now, I should mention that there aren't any trees in Botswana. I know that for a fact. My uncle is a lumberjack in Botswana and he's never had a job. So anyways, some people are still like 'We need dress shields,'. So anyways, the Boatswains collected a multitude of trees, planted them, and prepared their attack on the Ottomans. Now the Ottomans are like 'OH NO! THEY DISCOVERED THAT THEY NEEDED THE HIGH GROUNG TO DEFEAT US! WHY/ WELL…CAUSE…CAUSE WE'RE THE OTTOMANS! AUGH!'"

"Dudes! That's it!" Trent suddenly exclaimed. "I get it!"

"You do?" the other four asked.

"Yeah! We need the high ground. In other words, we need a…a TREE HOUSE!"

It took the others to register this for a second. When they did, though, they understood Trent completely.

"Dude! That's brilliant!" Geoff exclaimed. "In a tree house, we can see everything going on around us! When the coast is clear, we can spend time for fun! When people are coming, we can be better prepared!"

"It's perfect," Bridgette sighed. "A tree house."

"Wait…I thought we needed dress shields," Cody said, seeming confused.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four- The Tree House

The next Saturday morning, Geoff, Bridgette, Trent, Gwen, and DJ all met at Cody's house. They each had brought a few tools and other accessories along with them to assist in constructing their tree house. Cody, on the other hand, had numerous bags with him loaded with a wide variety of tools. He looked a little ridiculous carrying all those bags, but he insisted that they were all necessary in order to build the perfect tree house. After a few extra minutes getting their supplies ready, the five friends set off with Cody and Thunder into the nearby woods.

"The first step in tree house construction, which I shall refer to as 'Step One'," Cody began, trying to sound important, "is the selection of a perfect tree; one that will be big and strong enough to hold off any attacks from any type of advancing enemy."

"Hey, how about this one?" Trent said, pointing to a large maple tree nearby. "It looks strong enough."

"To the untrained eye," Cody smirked. "But the selection of a tree is based on more than just looks! Observe."

Cody walked up to the tree Trent had pointed out and began to sniff at it. He then put his ear next to it and knocked on it, listening carefully.

"See Trent? Put your ear next to that and listen," Cody said.

Trent did as he was told and put his ear to the tree. Cody knocked on it again and Trent could hear a deep, hollow sound to the tree.

"Too much base," Cody explained. "This one's no good."

"How about this one?" Geoff called over from another tree.

Cody and the others walked over to the tree Geoff had selected. Again, Cody began to observe the tree. He gave the tree a knock and there was no sound.

"Hmm…this one could work," Cody said.

Geoff smirked at his own success and patted the tree he had selected. But the instant he did, the tree began to crack violently as it fell to the ground. Everyone had scattered away just in time and no one was hurt.

"Then again, I think that tree had one too many termites," Cody nervously chuckled.

"Hey! This looks like a good one!" Bridgette called.

Cody walked up to the tree she had selected and began to study the tree. He gave it all the tests it needed.

"Yup! This is a good one," Cody exclaimed as he looked up the tree.

Bridgette smiled as she began to grab her tools out of her bag. Suddenly, everyone heard a terrible squawking noise and looked up just in time to see a family of pigeons poop on Cody's face.

"Never mind," Cody exclaimed trying to wipe the crap off his face. "This one's inhabited."

This was the way it was for hours: the campers showed a tree to Cody they deemed to be perfect, but Cody would always find something wrong with it and insist that they search for another one.

"Man, what's the big idea?" DJ demanded after a couple hours. "Let's just choose one already! A tree's a tree!"

"We've got to find one that's big enough and strong enough to bear an attack from the Ottomans," Cody explained as he continued to march forward.

"Ottomans?" DJ exclaimed. "What do they have to do with…" DJ was cut off when the other four threw their hands over his mouth.

"Please! For the love of God, don't get him started on that again," Gwen pleaded.

"Guys! Come here!" Cody called out in excitement. "Look at this!"

Immediately, the five others raced over to where Cody and Thunder were standing. When they got there, a magnificent sight stood before them. In front of them was the largest oak tree that any of them had seen. It was easily forty feet in diameter at the base of the tree. The great branches spread out in all different directions and stretches to the sky. It was easily the largest tree in all the woods. Quite possibly, it was the biggest tree in all of Wawanakwa.

"This is it!" Cody exclaimed. "This is the mother of all trees! The one we need!"

"Wow…look at that thing," Trent smiled in awe.

"It…it's possible the most beautiful tree I've ever seen!" Geoff choked wiping a tear away from his eye.

"See? What did I tell you?" Cody boasted. "Did I find the perfect tree or did I find the perfect tree?"

"You found the perfect tree all right," Gwen replied, seeming very impressed.

"The scenery's not that bad either," Bridgette sighed as she huddled close to Geoff.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" DJ thrillingly asked. "Let's get this tree house construction under way!"

Everyone agreed with this decision and pulled out the tools from their bags and their equipment. Bridgette and Gwen began to pile up lumber next to the tree while DJ and Geoff carried it over to Trent and Cody, who were busy planning the layout for the tree house.

"Yes sir," Cody spoke as he held a board to the base of the tree, "just as the journey of a million miles begins with a single step, the construction of a tree house begins with a single nail!" With that, he licked the end of his hammer and began to pound the nail into the tree.

_The Gypsy's Residence_

The gypsy was inside sitting at her table. She had her eyes closed and was concentrating heavily on communicating with the spirits of the afterlife. She seemed to be at peace for a few minutes as she listened to the spirits. Suddenly, she became uncomfortable in her chair and her face looked as though she was greatly disturbed by something. Then, with a loud gasp, her eyes shot open. She looked horrified and extremely scared.

"The spirits have become restless!" she whispered. "Why? …No…who would dare go near that tree?"

Not wasting another minute, she grabbed her jacket and raced off towards the woods.

Meanwhile, back in the woods, the tree house construction was nearing its end. By now, all six teens were up the tree adding the finishing touches to it. Cody, Bridgette, and Gwen continued to hammer boards to the tree while DJ, Geoff, and Trent were hard at work bringing some chairs and a table into the tree house they had gone back for. The tree house was the size of a king-sized bedroom and strong enough to support the weight of all six teens and a few extra accessories they had brought along for decoration. It had taken them nearly the entire day, but at long last, the tree house was complete.

"Whew! Finished," Bridgette puffed as she stared up at the final project with a big smile on her face.

"That, ladies and gentlemen," Cody smiled, "is your high ground! You're in the power now!"

"I've gotta hand it to ya, Cody," DJ smiled as he patted Cody's back, "you and your idea really pulled through for us!"

"Well, enough standing out here just looking at it," Trent exclaimed. "Let's get in it!"

"I brought lunch!" Gwen replied as she and Trent headed for the tree. Following them were Bridgette, Geoff, and DJ. Cody came up soon after as soon as he found a way to carry Thunder up into the tree with them. Gwen then pulled out some sandwiches and distributed them amongst the six of them along with some apples and sodas. And for Thunder, she pulled out a few raw hot dogs and placed them in a bowl for him that she brought along with some water. The seven of them just enjoyed the moment in the new tree house as they ate their lunch.

"Ah, this is the life," Geoff sighed. "An awesome tree house with an awesome view of the woods...and your girl by your side."

"Kind of romantic, if you ask me," Bridgette giggled as she cuddled with Geoff.

"Whoa dudes, save the make-out sessions for later when the rest of us are gone," DJ replied, seeming annoyed with how close the two were.

"I knew it! I knew it!" a voice whimpered just below them and the tree. All six teens glanced over the side and looked to the ground. At the bottom of the tree staring at it with a horrified look on her face was the gypsy.

"Oh, the prophecies have forewarned us of this! Oh, the nightmares are becoming to come back to me! The terror will roam this world once again. The nightmare will begin again. Oh, dark days are ahead of us indeed," she continued to whimper.

"Hey!" Cody shouted down to her, seeming offended. "I know this isn't the greatest tree house to ever be built, but calling it a 'nightmare' is a little much, don't you think?"

The gypsy turned her attention to the tree house when Cody spoke. When she saw him, she became shocked, scared, and furious at the same time.

"ALLEN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE TREE?" she demanded. "A WHOLE WORLD FULL OF TREES AND YOU HAD TO PICK THIS ONE!"

"What's the matter?" Cody asked, seeming confused. "Is it on your property or something? We didn't know. Otherwise we would've asked for your permission."

"OH, THE CURSE THAT WANDERED THESE PARTS IS GOING TO COME BACK!" the gypsy hollered. "SOON, THIS TOWN AND ALL ITS CITIZENS WILL BE THE PREEMPTIVE STRIKE FOR THE BEAST THAT WILL BE REVIVED! FLEE! FLEE THIS TOWN! FLEE!" As she bellowed out this last part, she began to run back to her residence as fast as she could.

"Dude! Was that the gypsy?" DJ asked, seeming shocked.

"Wow! I've never seen her come out of her house," Gwen added, seeming just as shocked.

"Boy, she sure seemed mad," Trent shivered.

"Don't worry guys," Cody replied. "She's probably just upset about us building a tree house on her property. I'll take care of the problem."

"Cody! Are you sure that's a good idea?" Bridgette asked, seeming worried as Cody headed for the ladder.

"Relax! It's all good," Cody assured as he slid down the ladder. Everyone watched as Cody raced after the gypsy calling out to her, "Wait a minute, ma'am! We're not technically on your property. We're more above it. Can't we discuss air rights?"

That was the last thing they heard from Cody as he raced after her, trying to calm her down.

"Oh, I hope he's going to be okay," Bridgette said, seeming very worried for her friend.

"It's all good, babe," Geoff assured Bridgette as he massaged her tense shoulders. "Cody may not act like it all the time, but he's no idiot."

Bridgette let out a long sigh. For some reason, Geoff's words weren't very assuring.

An hour had passed and the five remaining teens hadn't left the tree house. It was starting to become dark out and they were starting to become very worried about their friend, who hadn't returned yet.

DJ was standing watch, looking for any sign of Cody's return. Bridgette was cuddling Thunder, who was very anxious for his master's return. Geoff was cuddling Bridgette, who was also just as anxious. Trent was trying to keep Gwen calm as well.

"It's okay Gwen," Trent assured his girlfriend, who was looking very upset over Cody's disappearance.

"I swear, if that crazy gypsy lady does anything to hurt Cody," Gwen said as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, "I'm going to kill her."

"Yo! Someone's coming," DJ exclaimed pointing out towards the distance.

Immediately, all four of them and Thunder raced over to where DJ was standing and looked to where DJ was pointing.

"Cody?" Geoff called out.

No answer.

"Cody! If that's you, answer us!" Trent called out.

At that moment, a rotten tomato flew towards them, hitting the side of the tree house followed by the sound of four familiar voices laughing.

"Aw man, not again!" DJ moaned as another tomato hit the side of the tree house.

"What's the matter, losers?" Heather called out as she and Izzy, Lindsay, and Beth approached the tree house carrying more rotten vegetables. "Are you scared of being out here in the dark?"

"What have you witches done with Cody?" Gwen barked.

"Cody? Is that garbage-loving man here too?" Izzy chuckled.

"Sorry to disappoint you , freaky goth girl," Heather laughed, "but we haven't seen him."

"Yeah! Even if we did, we wouldn't waste rotten tomatoes on him! He's not worth the trouble!" Beth scoffed.

"You take that back!" Bridgette demanded.

"No way!" Lindsay taunted. "You'll have to make us take it back…uh, right Heather?"

"They can try, but I doubt they'll be able to…with tomato sauce in their hair!" she laughed as the barrage of rotten tomatoes came at the teens in the tree house again.

"Dudes! Why are you doing this?" Geoff asked, seeming to want to try and reach through to them. "I mean, we're not in your territory or anything. So what's your beef with us?"

"Well, it was so much fun yesterday, that we decided to do it again today!" Izzy laughed as she grabbed a banana and threw it at Geoff, striking it in his face.

"Oh, that's it!" Gwen hissed, crawling over to her backpack and grabbing some supplies.

When she returned, she passed out some groceries to the other teens. These groceries consisted of spoiled meat, expired milk, and eggs that had gone rotten. At that same moment, Thunder came over, carrying a bag of dog food that Cody had brought along. Gwen understood what Thunder was doing and after scratching him behind the ear, passed out the dog food too.

"Today…is payback time!" Gwen hollered as she stood up, ripped open the package of spoiled bologna and hurled it down to the four mean girls.

The bologna struck their targets, making the mean girls squeal in disgust. Ignoring the slimy, smelly meat, they continued to throw their vegetables at the tree house. They were hitting the tree house itself, but they couldn't make it high enough to strike the five teens in the tree house.

"Aw, come on!" Trent taunted "Surely you can throw higher than that!"

With those words, Trent grabbed a gallon of expired milk and dumped it out onto the mean girls. All four girls shrieked and gagged as the rotten milk drenched them. They tried to throw their ammo up the tree, but the smell of the milk became too much for them to bear and they had to hold their noses to block out the odor.

"Hey Heather, you were right about one thing the other day:" Bridgette shouted down to the mean girls, "I don't eat meat! Here, why don't you have this stuff since I won't be eating it!" Then, laughing, Bridgette poured the cans of dog food onto the four girls below, who were gagging and shrieking, mortified that they were being doused in rotten, expired food.

"And now, ladies, I present to you the finishing touch!" Geoff roared. He then grabbed a carton of eggs and began to throw them at Heather, Lindsay, Beth, and Izzy. Some of the eggs struck the girls and others hit the ground. But it didn't matter to Geoff either way: the eggs he was dropping were all rotten, so the smell would get to them if they missed.

"That's it! I am SO out of here," Lindsay gagged, racing away from the mess.

"Me too!" Beth shrieked, trying to wipe the rotten eggs off her clothes as she ran away.

"Izzy cannot take it anymore!" Izzy shouted, throwing the slimy meat off her clothes and storming away.

"You five are so dead when we come back!" Heather swore as she stomped off after her friends, still hacking and gagging over the spoiled food that was covering her.

The five friends in the tree house waited for their four opponents to be completely out of sight. Once they were gone, the celebration began. All five of them gathered in a group hug and began to jump up and down in joy. Thunder, who was standing on his hind legs, was also jumping up and down. They may have lost a battle yesterday, but they gained sweet revenge on their attackers.

**A/N: Stay tuned for the next chapter everyone because the monster that is known as Baganista will finally be resurrected and wreak terror amongst Wawanakwa. Also, someone is going to lose their soul to the monster! **


End file.
